Paranoia
by xXRubyKissesxX
Summary: Each Pretty Little Liar has their own way with dealing with A's games they progress. Now some one knew has entered their lives, who does not only have a deadly secret of her own, but has a connection to Holden, Aria's long time friend from her childhood.


A/N: This story takes place after the newest episode, "**Blond Leading the Blind**"**(**so if you haven't seen it, go see it first through popgirlz312's youtube profile. This is where I catch up on my episodes, as well as with The Lying Game. You're welcome hehe.**)** and will follow through the show's plot, as well as mine. The love interest is Holden, Aria's childhood friend from the show, who is not only _hot_, but mysterious in a way. This story isn't set in a particular pov at least not yet. Hope you like the first chapter! Review :)

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><p>" I heard about what happened with Toby from Emily yesterday. I am <em>so<em> sorry Spencer," Aria muttered during passing period the next day. Spencer decided to lead Toby into thinking she had been seeing another boy while they were dating, at the hospital, and had convinced Emily to do the bidding, in order to protect him from getting any more harmed then he already was, by _A_ no doubt.

She was relieved that he had just gotten a broken arm, knowing _A_ that wasn't _his or her_ expectation at all.

Spencer inhaled and exhaled slowly, blinking as her eyes began to water, and clutched the books she held to her chest for support.

" I am too Ar. God _knows_ I never wanted things to turn out this way between us. But it was.. for his own good," She paused, as she passed a couple of students.

"It was the only thing I could think of to keep him safe and _alive_," She breathed the last part, then stopped when she noticed Holden approaching them, or more like Aria. She sent a bright but fake smile his way, then excused herself to head to her fourth period class.

Aria blinked after Spencer then grinned at Holden, punching him lightly in the shoulder. " Hey Holden, what's up?" He wriggled his eyebrows in a flirty type of way before laughing.

" Shouldn't I be getting a_ thank you_ about last night? You looked like a deer caught in headlights before I came with the ice cream. Seems like that last minute pick up was a _pretty_ good idea eh?" He replied amused, folding his arms over his chest. Aria's mind flickered to last night before her mother and then finally Holden had arrived and covered for her, saying that he had left Aria to go get desert when he had really been enjoying himself, wherever he was, while Aria had been with Ezra.

The whole evening up until that point was magical. Here she was, sitting in the pouring rain, waiting for Ezra to show up at the time she had proposed in a voice mail. She would see then if what they had was special. She had been waiting forever, in fact he was at least ten minutes late. She had began to doubt herself but it was then that he arrived, slamming the car door to his silver Toyota Camry.

She threw herself into his arms and they kissed slowly, holding each other under the pouring rain, until they finally decided to confront each other in his car.

" Aria?" She blushed and blinked her eyes." Oh uh, sorry bout that," She apologized. Holden laughed and patted her shoulder.

" Must have been some night huh? Let me guess, _Ezra_, was there right?" He asked, then winked. She blushed again and hit his shoulder. He laughed again and looked into her eyes jokingly.

" I _do_ owe you a thank you though. So thank you. My mom was seconds from interrogating me about 'where I really was'," Aria sighed doing air quotes with her fingers. Holden arched a brow, then mimicked her as he replied.

" But you were 'somewhere else'," Aria smiled at him and giggled. " You're absolutely right," She blinked as Hanna passed them, a distraught look on her face. Aria turned around briskly toward her friend, as did Holden, who looked after her questionably.

" She alright?" He asked. Aria shrugged slowly and sighed, grabbing Holden's forearm. "Someone probably scored the last pair of Jimmy Cheu boots at Evangelines'. You know how girls are with their footwear," Aria said hurriedly, but with a smile on her face.

Of course, the smile was fake. She was worried about Hanna, as well as the others, with the whole _A_ issue going on, and trying to protect Caleb from getting hurt by _A._ But that ship had long sailed since they decided to let him in, minus Hanna, on what the videos and pictures were about that Caleb had successfully been able to recover from the files on _A_'s cell phone.

" Must had been some pretty nice shoes," Holden muttered as Aria dragged him to their next class, though he couldn't help but wonder if there was something Aria wasn't telling him.

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><p>" So, what now?" Emily asked as the girls, minus Hanna, had gathered around Spencer's living room, eating Chinese takeout that hadn't been soiled by<em> A<em> this time. Spencer, who shuddered at the memory, slowly at her Chow Mein, watching each noodle intently before popping it into her mouth. Aria shrugged and used her chopsticks to bite out of a piece of orange chicken.

" No idea Em. Did you see Hanna today at school? She seemed pretty out of it," Aria added concernedly.

" I would be too if it seemed like my friends were giving me the cold shoulder, which we aren't. We're just trying to make sure she doesn't find out about Caleb working with us. I mean, understand she wants him to be safe, but he can make decisions on his own, and right now he is the _only_ person that can get info about Ali right now," Spencer replied, her voice cold, not intentionally, but she couldn't help how hurt she felt right then. The other two girls nodded sadly, but agreeing, and continued to eat.

" I can't believe he's..gone. He's just gone," She muttered, setting down her container, half finished, and hugged herself on the couch. Emily sighed and placed a hand on her friends arm. Aria looked to her sympathetically.

" Maybe he'll come back. You know, and you guys can talk it out or.." Emily trailed off as she received a glare from Spencer, whose eyes seemed to soften as Emily shrugged back.

" I don't even think he'll want to see my _face_ again. God, I just wish _A_ would just, leave us alone!" Spencer exclaimed frustrated, as she gripped the blanket next to her. Her throat burned, as well as her eyes, that seemed to get wetter by the second. Her heart pounded in her chest as the there was a thud against the front door. The girls jumped in surprise, now more scared then ever when the noise ceased,the rain continued to pour.

" What was that?" Aria asked, her eyes fixed on the white door ten twenty feet away. Emily looked to Spencer, who had snatched the covers from herself and rose from the couch, walking slowly towards the front door. She ignored Aria's frustrated outcry to her and took the silver baseball bat Emily handed her from the closet nearby. The two girls flanked her she grabbed the door knob, preparing for who would be behind the door.

If it was A, god who knows what would happen. The door swung open, and no one was there, at least it seemed like it until their eyes caught sight of a body at their feet. Emily shrieked in surprise, a hand clapped over her mouth.

" Oh my god," Aria exclaimed. Spencer hurriedly knelt to the body, who seemed to belong to a girl, who was not only unconscious, but also bleeding. And _badly_.

" Help me bring her in," Spencer commanded, and Emily grabbed the bottom half, as Aria carefully gripped the middle. The girl was surprisingly light, the three of them noticed. Aria let go and rushed to the couch, spreading out the blanket for the girl to lay on. Spencer and Emily carefully lay the girl on top. Then Spencer rushed to the kitchen cabinet, and came back with a First Aid kit.

" She's bleeding. Her abdominal it seems like," Spencer observed as she took in the mysterious girl's wounds. There were multiple cuts and bruises on her tanned face and arms, not to mention her white t shirt was caked in blood. She wore a black windbreaker over it. With scissors, she made an incision through the shirt, and gasped at the size of the deep gash through her ribcage.

" H-How the _hell_ did she end up like this?" Emily asked, stammering at the sight and smell of all the blood. " It looks like she's been _stabbed_," Aria noted the gash as Spencer began treating it like a true professional. All those medical classes her parents paid for her take during her summers in grade and middle school, as well as watching Grey's Anatomy a few times a week, really paid off.

The girl had waist length dark red hair, which was also caked with blood, as well as the dirt that covered the rest of her body. She twitched a little as Spencer used peroxide to treat her wounds but relaxed as she finished, breathing slowly through her parted naturally red lips. Spencer sighed when she finished stitched the girl up with bloodied gloved hands, and turned to the girls, also a little worried.

Where did the girl come from, and how did she get here?

_Why_ did she come here? Not once had the girls seen her around before, Rosewood in its self was pretty small, as well as the high school as they knew almost every face around.

" You don't think _A_ sent her here, as a threat do you?" Emily asked them worriedly. Aria turned to Spencer, who shook her head.

" _A_ would have made sure we'd know it was them. Like engrave a message into her skin or even go about it the_ usual_ way," Spencer countered, holding up her cell phone, as it vibrated. She looked to it in shock, and her heart pounded rapidly in her chest.

" No way," Aria gasped. Spencer relaxed as she read the Caller ID, reading the text. " It's just Hanna. She's..on her way over now,"

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><p>" So you have absolutely <em>no<em> idea who she is," Hanna said as she sat in one of the chairs, folding her arms. The other three girls were seated on the separate couch from the sleeping girl, who hadn't woken up since they found her on the doorstep. They shook their head in silence.

" Not a clue," Emily replied, her eyes clinging to Hanna's begging her silently for forgiveness. Hanna was already going through enough, and just keeping things from her only made things worse. After all, she was even staying at her house, and it was hard for her not to spill the truth about informing Caleb.

" So what are you going to do? Keep her here?" Hanna asked, her eyes fixing on Spencer, who nodded slowly in response.

" My parent's won't be home for a while. She'll be safe here for now. Though the sooner she wakes up, the better," Hanna sighed shakily afterward, averted her eyes to the floor.

" What is it Hanna?" Aria spoke. Hanna shook her head. " It's just. Caleb and me got into a disagreement. I sort of.. destroyed the flash drive containing A's files in the process. But I just want him to be safe and out of _A'_s reach. I wouldn't know what to do if something horrible happened to him because he got involved. He's already done too much,_ seen_ too much,"

The girls feigned shock as she confessed about the flash drive, though they already knew about it from Caleb. He had also made backup files just in case, to their surprise, and nodded understandably. Aria rubbed Hanna's shoulder comfortingly, all while shoot Spencer and Emily a look of hurt, because of what they were doing behind Hanna's back. Spencer, as well as Aria, knew all too well about doings things to protect the ones they cared about,

" We understand Han. We really do. He just wants to make sure _you're_ safe. You know that," Aria told her. Hanna sighed and nodded.

" I know. I just wish this was all over you know? That Ian was actually the Alison's killer and we could just go back to the way things used to be, when we were happy. It's because of A, that all of this is happening," Hanna muttered, reaching over towards Aria's orange chicken. Aria grabbed it for her and Hanna took a few bites. Spencer massaged her temples, turning to the unconscious girl, then Emily, who looked to her with the same look of sadness and pity in her eyes.

" Don't we all?"


End file.
